Stone Sour was founded by Corey Taylor, who eventually became the vocalist of Slipknot, and former drummer Joel Ekman. Taylor's longtime friend Shawn Economaki joined shortly after, and filled in as the bass player. During these formative years, Stone Sour recorded two demo tapes,[3] in 1993 and 1994. Shortly after, in 1995, Jim Root, who is now also part of Slipknot with Taylor, joined the band. The group was complete, and in 1996, it recorded another demo tape, songs from which would later be used in 2002 on their self-titled debut album, Stone Sour. The band was named after an alcoholic drink that consists of one part whiskey, one part orange juice, with a splash of sour mix.
In 1997, the band went on hiatus, during which Taylor and Root spent most of their time with Slipknot, who were another up-and-coming act in Des Moines and would soon earn a record deal. Root actually did not join the band until over a year after Taylor, and Economaki went on to become Stage left guitar tech.